


I Pāngia e Nga Atua

by thelovelylydia



Series: A Hook and A Shell [2]
Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: F/M, Finding Purpose, Grieving, Sequel, Tokens, hooked wayfinder, māori gods, polynesian gods, polynesian myths, reinterpreting myths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 05:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10892454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelovelylydia/pseuds/thelovelylydia
Summary: "Touched by the gods"Moana contemplates her purpose after learning she is destined to live forever. Maui gives her some suggestions. An unexpected visitor arrives to give the demigoddess a solution to leaving her role as chieftain to take on a more consequential position alongside her people.sequel to "Pāpā o Nga Atua" [You should read this first or this one won't make much sense]





	I Pāngia e Nga Atua

**Author's Note:**

> I've had a lot of requests for a follow up to Pāpā O Nga Atua and while I am working on a multi-chapter fict, I figured I'd explain one element that Moana will have in this future fict. I hope you enjoy this follow up. There's a lot more MauixMoana interaction for those who love that :)

Moana sat on the lip of the rock, her arms resting on her knees as she looked down into the tidepool. Her large toe swirled in the waters, causing ripples to disturb the flat surface of the small pool of water.

"Hey Moana!" Maui's raspy voice called. "Mo!"

Moana continued to watch the waters, ignoring the voice of her companion behind her. She watched as the small fish darted about the pool, circling her big toe in a hypnotizing fashion. _I wonder if it is because they think my toe is bait, or if it is because I can somehow control them?_ Moana raised one of her palms, tilting her head to look at the smooth skin. It didn't seem to emanate any sparks, did not look any stronger…

"Hey, Mo! I'm about to cook up drumstick if you're hungry!" Maui taunted her from beyond the rock. Moana replied with a heavy sigh, her shoulder sagging as she propped herself up by her knees. Her eyes stung with tears that wanted to be shed, but she would not allow from them to decorate her cheeks.

"Princess!" Maui's voice was louder and the sound of bare feet scraping along the rocks meant that he was approaching.

"I'm not a princess," Moana answered bitterly, not moving from her crouch.

Maui rolled his eyes, flipping his hair over his shoulder as he rolled his head and held up his hands. "Right, sorry, _daughter of the chief_."

Moana felt her anger surge up from her belly, the fury of Te Kā, causing her to rise to her feet, her fists clenching at her sides. "I'm not even _that_ anymore."

Maui's jovial grin fell quickly from his round face, his dark eyes narrowing as he examined Moana's silhouette with concern. "What happened to the girl who told me that it isn't the gods who make you who you are?"

Moana turned, her thick curls falling over her shoulders as her cheeks burned red. "Yeah, well, maybe I was wrong!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey Curly," Maui shook his head, his hand reaching out to her in offering. "I think we need to take some deep breaths. You're burning as red as Pele…if I throw you into the ocean it'll start to boil." A worried smile crossed his thick lips as he walked towards her. Moana did not respond, continuing to fume as she clutched her arm. "I didn't realize that such a secret would change everything about who you are. What happened to that girl who grabbed me by the ear and was completely unimpressed with my many grand adventures?"

Moana grimaced, turning her head from him. "Why did she keep it from me for so long? Does my…does the chief know?"

"You mean _your father_?" Maui placed a comforting hand on Moana's shoulder. Moana wrenched herself away, clutching her elbows as she turned her back on her friend.

"But he's not, is he?' Moana held her hands out before her in a ritual she had created since leaving Motunui, assuring herself that there was nothing extraordinary about herself that she had neglected realizing for nearly three decades. "He is not any part of me."

Maui let out a short puff of air, signaling his disapproval. "He's not," Moana turned to look at the demigod behind her. "That…that is," she pointed to the waves that licked at the rocks behind her.

"First of all, I wouldn't speak of Tangaroa with such disrespect." Maui crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Even if you're now understanding your role as his pain-in-the-ass daughter."

"I thought— " Moana began.

"Secondly," Maui's voice rose, drowning out Moana's protest. "If I've learned anything, Mo, it's that sometimes it's not who you _came_ from, but who you've lived with, that matters most." Moana's mouth clamped shut as his brows crossed his face. "You might have come from sea foam and a mortal," a sudden wave splashed past Moana to drench the demigod before her, "but you were raised by Tui Waialiki. He raised you with the love and protection and affection I am sure any father would have towards their daughter. He's probably the one who gave you your irritating sense of persistence and your inability to back down when you've been told no. Especially if the someone tell you happens to be 'hero to all'." Maui jabbed a thumb into his chest.

Moana bit her lip, looking away from him to hide that her eyes were misting with tears. If what he said were true, how was she supposed to return to Motunui? If she took her place as chief, would she not live forever? Her father had taken so much time and effort in preparing her to take his place, teaching her and reassuring her from her earliest days; how would that have changed if he knew what she was?

 _Would he have thrown me into the sea_? Moana's eyes widened as her gaze returned to Maui's concerned glance.

"Look," Maui sighed defeatedly, his own eyeline falling to the space between their feet. "You once said to me, 'if you don't want to talk, don't', and if you don't want to talk," Maui rubbed the back of his neck, "I get it. But I kind of miss that really annoying, bossy chieftess you've seemed to have forgotten in the ocean somewhere between Motunui and here, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd bring her back."

Moana's brows rose as she saw Maui's cheeks blush the faintest hint of pink. He continued to stand before her, his gaze at her feet, his hands at his side. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes watching the line in the distance where the sky met the sea, her chest heaving as she fought to control her tears. She knew if she wept in front of Maui he'd dance about her uncomfortably, trying his best to awkwardly deal with her forward display of emotion.

Or he'd barf. He'd threatened that on previous occasion when she had become overly emotional about some petty disagreement or a fight between the two of them.

Moana's throat burned as she finally answered him, knowing that she would need to tell someone, and who better to tell than the only other demigod she knew. "What is my purpose now?"

Maui's head inclined, his lips twisting into a sad frown as he closed the distance between the two of them. "Moana?"

"All my life," Moana turned her back to her friend, hiding the tears that were now spilling down her cheeks from the being behind her. "All my life, I've been trained to lead my people. I have been taught to be giving, to think rationally. I have learned about all the traditions we have cultivated and passed down from generation to generation. I have taken my position as chieftain for ten years, sending boat after boat into the horizon to find the next land to live on, to learn from. That was going to be my legacy, to be the girl who brought my people back to their former glory, to return us to the craft of our ancestors. But how can I remain as chief? How can I go back to a people that grow old while I remain…immortal?" Moana looked at her hands, then used her finger tips to wipe the tears away from her smooth face. "How can I bear being _so alone_?"

"Mo," Maui's thick hand wrapped about her tattooed shoulder. "Mo, you aren't alone. You have your tribe, your people who love you."

"But, certainly, you must understand," Moana turned to look at him, forgetting about the stains that marked her dusky cheeks. "How can I watch person after person I love die? It won't just be a handful of them; it will be all of them. It will be an entire generation. And then I will grow to love a generation after that. All the while I bring my people to stagnation by remaining their…their _kuini mutunga kore_?"

"That is the trouble with being immortal," Maui frowned sympathetically. "The only ones that stick around are the gods and the beasts damned to Lalotai."

Moana hummed as she turned from Maui once again, her gaze returning to the sunset that was beginning to paint the sky in a dazzling array of lavenders, salmons, ochres, and cerulean beams.

"Maybe you don't have to be chief. There is a life doing what…well, doing the awesome things I do." Maui grinned at her with his usual cocky gleam.

Moana shook her head, her features hardening over her face. "I would like to think I have a greater desire, a great sense of being, than to do things only to be praised."

"You know," Maui cleared his throat. "You'd be surprised at what the shouts of adoring people can do for a slump."

Moana shot him an incredulous glare, her arms folding over her chest. "I still don't have a need to hear how amazing I am. And besides, you have a hook. I don't have anything. No super strength, no magical tattoos, nothing."

"Except the water," Maui answered her. "You have the water."

Moana grimaced. "When it will listen to me. The water has never been very good about being controlled."

Maui hummed, shrugging with a small grin. "I don't know what to tell ya, curly. You're the one that said the ocean chose you. And you're the descendant of Tangaroa, I am sure there is a part of you you haven't even begun to comprehend yet." Moana remained silent. "Now, do you want something to eat or do you want to sit here and sulk?"

Moana wanted to choose the latter, but she knew she wouldn't be able to evade the just as persistent demigod the entire night. With a defeated sigh, she dropped her hands to her sides, turning to Maui. "You aren't seriously going to eat Hei-Hei?"

"If that chicken didn't find himself in the hull, I wouldn't be so tempted."

"Fine," Moana conceded and was embarrassed to admit she liked seeing the pleased grin settle on Maui's round face. "What are you so proud of now?"

"I knew I could get you to change your mind. Little buddy and I had a bet," he indicated to the tattoo resting on his left pectoral. The tattoo was posed with his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his mouth. Moana sighed.

"Don't get too used to being right," she picked her way carefully down the rocks toward the fire that was crackling in the distance. "After all, you're going to spending an eternity being remined how you are so often wrong."

"Ha-ha, princess." Maui answered flatly.

"Not a princess!"

* * *

Moana lay on her pallet near the dying fire, watching the twinkling stars above. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but she was not able to find rest, her mind was racing too rapidly with all that had happened, all the secrets long hidden she had unearthed. Groaning with frustration and exertion, she pushed herself into a seated position, looking beyond the dying embers before her and out to the ocean beyond.

 _ **Moana…**_ the breeze whispered her name softly.

On the other side of the fire, Maui slept soundly. He was perched on his side, one large arm cradling his head while the other wrapped about his hook in an affectionate embrace. Moana rolled her eyes, blowing away a piece of hair that drifted into her face with a huff. _There is no way I am going to use my…immortality to win people's affections_ , Moana thought to herself. _I would give up anything to stay with my people…_

 _ **Moana…**_ the call was soft.

Moana drew her feet beneath her, standing slowly to her full height. She stretched, pushing the small amount of sleep that engulfed her muscles away, bringing to her limbs full wakefulness. Obediently, Moana walked across the flat rock where Maui had made camp, her toes digging into the soft earth when she hit the sandbar.

She continued onward, toward the water that tickled her feet, caressed her ankles, embraced her hips. She walked until she was to her chest in the water, stopping only so she didn't walk unknowingly into the swift current.

" _ **Moana**_ ,"

"Why are you calling me?" Moana shook her head. "I did what you wanted me to do— I went and stopped Maui. I restored the heart of Te Fiti, and with that life to the island."

" _ **Moana, Moana, you were meant for so much more than restoring the heart**_ ," a deep voice sounded from the depths, causing Moana to take a startled step backwards.

"Who— who's there?"

The waters about her parted enough to pool at her feet. Moana looked about, frightened by the waves she saw suspended in a bow on either side of her. A shadow, illuminated by the moon behind the being before her, loomed menacingly at her feet. Moana held her breath as she allowed her gaze to wander upwards once more, to the creature that had revealed itself suddenly.

It was not the monster she feared stood before her, but instead a more inviting image. Amidst the suspended wall of ocean stood a burly man, his caramel skin tinted blue, his glowing teal eyes watching her as she trembled in the shallows before him. His white curly hair draped his shoulders, fell in curtains behind him to flow down his back. He had a scar splitting one of his thick eyebrows. His body was covered in tattoos emanating eerie white light.

"Tangaroa!" Moana muttered, falling to her knees and bowing her head. This was the being who gave her people fish, who kept their boats floating in the deepest of oceans. Now he stood before her, watching her every move. _Perhaps I should have heeded Maui's earlier advice…_

"Arise, child," the god commanded. "You must not bow before me."

"But you are Tangaroa, god of the sea," she trembled as she rose to her feet.

"And you are Moana of Motunui," he answered her. "The girl who restored the heart of Te Fiti, the girl who was Chosen. The girl who is _my daughter_." Moana winced at this. "I understand the notion does not bring you joy— perhaps having you live among the mortals has brought you too much compassion, no true understanding of the divide between them and you."

"They raised me, they are my people." Moana shook her head, her hands fisting at her sides.

"I know you mourn, Moana, having to leave them behind," Tangaroa shook his head. "But you will soon come to understand that people are fickle and nothing but trouble; they will forget you and your leadership once you have left their presence. It would be best if you could forget them first."

"How can you ask that of me?" Moana shouted, her brows twisting as she lost any sense of reverence toward the god, her anger burning bright against him. "They are part of who I am."

"As am I," Tangaroa answered. "Moana, I need a champion to help me control the beings of my ocean. Now that your people have returned to Wayfinding they are awakening the beasts of old who like to prey on their naivete, their ignorance. If you wish to protect your people, Moana, you can best do so serving me."

"But," Moana glanced over her shoulder back to the island. "I am no great hero."

"You proved yourself worthy returning the heart of Te Fiti. My waters would not have parted for one they did not respect or approve of. My waves yearn for you to join us as much as I do." Tangaroa held out his hand to Moana. "Join me, in the sea."

"To help my people?"

"I promise," Tangaroa nodded his head. "You will become more than their savior, their hero; you will become their guardian in the deep ocean. The girl who calls the waves, the girl who directs the currents. You will guide the spirits home, you will keep peace among the tides."

"Who am I? I am merely a woman who must live a long time. I have no strength like Maui," Moana insisted. "I can do nothing for you. You should send me back to my people, make me mortal."

"I cannot do that," Tangaroa said. "It is Io who has gifted you with immortality, and it is only by him that Hine may take it away." Moana felt her heart sink. "Do not think I have left you with nothing, my daughter." Tangaroa shook his head. He held out his clenched fist, knuckles toward the sky. She realized he held something in the curve of his palm as his fingers began to uncurl, revealing a pretty pink conch shell. Moana looked at it curiously.

"As Maui has his hook, so you shall have this conch." Tangaroa inclined his hand toward the girl. Moana took the shell in hand, examining the piece closely. "With it, you have all the power you need." Tangaroa raised his arms, forcefully clapping his hands together. The movement brought a rush of water over Moana, who tumbled forward into the ocean.

Panicking, Moana tried to swim to the surface, her mind spinning with the lack of air as she held her breath. She had not taken a deep inhale before being tossed beneath the waves and her disorientation only fueled her anxiety that she had indeed met her end after all.

 _ **Moana, breathe**_.

Moana took a gasping breath, wincing as she prepared to have her lungs filled with water, knowing she would sink to Hine's arms in the most ironic of deaths.

Instead, she found air entering her body, her inhale supplying her with the breath of life. Looking about frantically, Moana saw that she was still underwater. Tangaroa stood at her side.

"You remarked to that irritating demigod that you found it hard to control the sea; now you shall have no trouble. The waves shall obey you, the creatures of my realm shall heed your instruction. You will find you can sink beneath the waves and find good air to breath, like a fish-girl. And," he nodded his head toward the shell. "Should you find yourself in trouble, give that conch a stern blow and help shall be on the way."

Moana returned her attention to the conch in her hand. "But…but why?"

"I don't see why the other gods can have Maui as their champion and I cannot resurrect one of my own who heeds my authority alone. Hine might have resurrected him, but I helped hide him for years. And yet, he belongs more to the sun and the wind, doing the biding of Tama and Tāwhiri instead of listening to me. Which is why I make him sink. To remember who he came from and who he should still fear."

Moana listened, though her eyes still examined the shell in her hand. "I…why did you choose me? Why Motunui?"

"Your people have always been strong and adventurous, as well as stupidly strong willed. Your father proved this when he and his friend went out beyond the reef without my permission. One of them had to pay the price."

"Oh," Moana felt her chest tighten as she realized that the god before her was responsible for the death of her father's closest companion.

"Perhaps you can save someone in their foolhardy position in the future, convince me to have mercy toward a young irreverent boy."

"I see," Moana nodded her head. "But if I take this role, if I accept the position to be the oceanic guardian of my people, who will they follow? What will happen to my people?"

"The Waialiki line may end, but they will choose another who is strong and smart and capable." Tangaroa answered with disinterest. "They have had lines end in the past, they have continued on all the same."

Moana closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight back tears which slammed against the back of her lids for a second time that day. "Be grateful you have someone who will live just as long as you in your world, as you watch the decades pass in a never-ending cycle. At least you will not have to spend a thousand years in solitude."

Her eyes shot open as she looked at the god with a quizzical grimace. "What?"

"You have a companion to keep you company when the generations of the Motunui pass you by."

"Wait? What? Maui?" Moana asked with disgust.

The god smiled mischievously.

"I am not looking forward to being stuck with him for an eternity! Why would that even be suggested?" Moana stuck her tongue out in disdain. "You did not plan for this, did you?"

"I felt a little pity for Maui when he was stuck on that island; he was foolish to have taken the heart of Te Fiti, but even I can understand the need for admiration and worship." Tangaroa shrugged. "And I am grateful for him for taking care of Te Tuna. He got rid of a menace I had no interest or want to deal with." Tangaroa explained. "I thought that perhaps after correcting that narcissistic baffoon's mistake, you could show him a little kindness by being his companion; a friend, confidant. Eternity is a long time to spend alone."

"So I spend it with him?"

"If you so choose, or you can remain close to your people. I do not care, so long as you take your place alongside Kiwa, especially when Nāmaka is too busy being quarrelsome, I could care less who you find your companionship with, if he fades with the dying sun or blossoms in the repeating of days." Tangaroa smiled. "Now, there's just one last item I must bless you with."

Moana's brows twisted as she looked through the swirling bubbles and rolling currents toward the sea god. He raised his hand toward her, his palm glowing as his lips moved softly.

Moana felt her skin alight with pain as if she was being held to the flame. She let out a cry of anguish, gasping for air as she gripped the shell in her hand tightly. Gritting her teeth she tried her best to keep from screaming as her skin cried out for relief.

The searing pain extinguished as quickly as it had started. Moana looked down to see that her shoulders were covered in intricate designs; thick lines traced the outline of the curve of her arm, wavy bands wrapped about her wrists. She would have to examine her _malu_ later to see what had changed, discover the markings Tangaroa had decided to bestow upon her.

"You are to earn your bragging rights, much like Maui, though you have already earned a memory or two." He indicated toward her left shoulder. Moana looked down to see the image of a woman standing before a raging beast, holding a small round object aloft. "I am sure, Moana, over the centuries you are bound to have thousands of stories grafted upon your tapestry." Moana looked up at the god, still in shock. "The night is growing short and you should return to the shore before you are missed."

"What if I should need you?" Moana held up her hand, stopping the god from sending her back to the shore.

"Summon me through the waves. I will come." Tangaroa answered. "Goodbye, Moana of Montunui, demigoddess of the tides and surf, savior to all." Moana shivered at her expanding name.

"Thank you," Moana replied quickly. She held up the shell on her palm. "For this." Tangaroa nodded in silent response.

Moana felt the water about her feet shift, and she clutched the shell as a stream of water shot her from the waves into the air. She landed unceremoniously onto the sandy beach, groaning as she hit the shore with a heavy _thud_. Holding her head, she drew her legs beneath her, assessing her body to make sure no damage had been done.

 _Of course, it hasn't_ , she thought when she discovered only tender spots that would form into bruises. _I am a demigoddess_. At the thought, she frantically searched for the conch she had been gifted, pulling it close when she discovered it laying in the sand at her side.

"Moana!" Maui shouted, concern marking his voice. Moana turned to see him hurry towards her. "What happened to you?"

"The ocean," Moana answered, looking back to the sores.

"Whoa," Maui breathed as the breeze rustled her hair. "That is one awesome tattoo." He was standing behind her, marveling at whatever design Tangaroa saw fit to decorate her back with.

Moana tried to look over her shoulder to see what had presented on her caramel skin, but she could see nothing more than nondescript black lines running over her tanned skin. "What? What is it?"

"A giant eagle," Maui grinned proudly. "I had no idea you were such an admirer, Mo, to want to have my tattooed forever on your back."

"You should speak for yourself," Moana answered, jabbing her finger into her tattoo likeness over Maui's chest.

"The ocean, yeah? More like you had a little heart to heart with daddy-o is my guess. Touched by the gods?" Maui crossed his hands over his chest smugly. "I told you that the praise of humans is too great a treasure to resist."

"Unlike you, Maui," Moana slinked closer to him, her fingers running up his torso. "The gods saw that I had gift and talent on top of beauty, and they've decided to give me a very special task."

"And that would be?"

"Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero to all," Moana took a step back in a mock gesture of displaying her grandeur, "meet Moana of Motunui, demigoddess of the tide and surf, savior to all. I may not have a hook, but I have my own little gift from the gods." She held the conch shell out of Maui's reach.

"Officially part of the demigod club, yeah?" Maui answered proudly, his eyes halflidded as he gloated.

"Club?"

"Okay, it's not much of a 'club'. You've just booted the membership to two." Maui shrugged. "So if you're in charge of all of that— " he pointed to the sea, "does that mean we can just coast to the next island?"

"Sorry Maui," Moana blinked her eyes innocently. "I have it on good authority that you're still going to sink."

"Well, Moana of Motunui, demigoddess of the tide and surf, savior to all," Maui bowed.

"Yes?" Moana asked with her own air of cockiness.

"I suppose we'll have to see if that applies to all demigods," Maui bolted forward, scooping her up by her waist as he sprinted toward the sea, preparing to throw her in. Moana let out giggling protests for him to stop, beating at him futilely with her fists.

Perhaps if she was to live forever, she could always find someone worse to spend all of that time with. Maybe Tangaroa wasn't as foolish and narrow minded as she had judged him to be.

Her swirling thoughts ceased for the first time since leaving Motunui as Maui tossed her into the area, sending her with a mighty throw far out into the surf. She landed in the sea on her back, the waters parting about her gently to cushion her fall. The crashing of the waves about her as she hit the sea filled her with an electric energy. She breathed in fresh air as she sank beneath the waves.

**Author's Note:**

> As always...hope you enjoyed it. Likes/Ratings/Kudos/Favorites are ALWAYS appreciated. And comments even more so!


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